The Arrow Air Flight 1285 was the worst air disaster in Canadian history and the third worst in the Western Hemisphere but is largely unknown. It was the worst day in terms of loss of life in the long esteemed history of the 101st Airborne Division. A division that fought on D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge. This book tells the story of a young Lieutenant who did not go to war, but went to peace, and there witnessed this tragedy and served his country despite the difficult realization that everything he did in the Army was supported by the lowest bidder.

“…I remember their faces. I remember their pride in their unit, “STRIKE AND KILL,” but above all I remember their happiness at the thought of going home to family, friends, loved ones, fiancés, and most of all, America. America for everything she stands for, America, the reason they all wore that uniform and the reason they served so far away from home. America must know, America must appreciate, America must miss their most valued treasure, their American soldiers. They ARE a part of something bigger, they always will be. Please let us all remember them together, these young American heroes, from every corner of our nation, who were willing to risk everything for our future. They are forever young; they will always be in the summer of their lives; they are the Boys of Summer.”

The author, Michael Casciaro served in the 3-60th Infantry battalion as a rifle platoon leader in 1985 when his unit replaced the 3-502nd in the Sinai Peninsula to assume duties in the Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO) peacekeeping mission between Egypt and Israel. This is his story of the events leading up to and the aftermath of the Arrow Air Flight 1985 crash in Gander, Newfoundland that killed 248 members of the battalion he replaced. It also chronicles the life of an Infantry Second Lieutenant fresh out of the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course (IOBC) and U.S. Army Ranger School after reporting to his first unit. There he endured rigorous training to prepare him to lead his soldiers in combat and perform duties of an officer in the MFO under one of the Army’s most inspirational leaders in the 1980s. Leading men under those conditions was tough, not politically correct, and focused on one thing…ensuring your soldiers survived combat.

Michael Casciaro came from a military family and grew up as an Army brat. Most of his younger years were spent in Columbus, Georgia under the shadows of the massive jump towers on Fort Benning. His only ambition in growing up was to become one of the few, an Airborne Ranger. He served in the Army for 24 years as an Infantry Officer and a Middle East Foreign Area Officer. He served in the Multinational Force and Observers, the Persian Gulf War and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. During his service he traveled to numerous countries and served in a myriad of positions. After he retired from the Army he served as a Department of Defense Civilian for another 15 years. He is now retired and lives in Central Pennsylvania where he enjoys travel and riding his motorcycle in the Pennsylvania hills and beyond.